There are numerous variables at play, chief among them who a team has beaten and where. But while we have a "what have you done for me lately?" mind-set, we consider the rankings a snapshot of the whole season, not just one week; that's why -- at times -- teams are ranked below a team they may have beaten.

We update these every Tuesday at 1:20 p.m. Eastern time, so if your team isn't where you think it should be, check back in a week.

On to the rankings:

Mike Huguenin's Rivals 120

1. LSU (8-0)BUZZ: LSU dusted off Auburn quote easily. Now they get a week off to rest of for Armageddon, i.e., a trip to Tuscaloosa.
NEXT GAME: Nov. 5 at Alabama

2. Alabama (8-0)BUZZ: The Tide looked ordinary for one half last week against Tennessee. They turned it on the second half and made the Vols look even worse than they are.
NEXT GAME: Nov. 5 vs. LSU

3. Oklahoma State (7-0)BUZZ: "Little brother" saw what happened to the Sooners at home last week. The Cowboys play their next two at home and hope the same fate doesn't await them.
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Baylor

4. Stanford (7-0)BUZZ: Andrew Luck puts up pedestrian numbers -- and the Cardinal still wins by 44, thanks to a rushing attack that will make Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt wake up with night sweats six months from now.
NEXT GAME: Saturday at USC

5. Clemson (8-0)BUZZ: The Tigers' offense is clicking now and goes against a mediocre defense. The question is how the Tigers' defense stands up to a triple-option attack.
NEXT GAME: Saturday at Georgia Tech

6. Boise State (7-0)BUZZ: The Broncos have a week to prepare for a trip to Vegas. Chances are, the coaches are far more worried about off-field shenanigans than anything that will happen on the field against one of the nation's worst teams.
NEXT GAME: Nov. 5 at UNLV

7. Oregon (6-1)BUZZ: This week's game is a mere speed bump and serves as a prelude to two intriguing road games -- Nov. 5 at Washington and, especially, Nov. 12 at Stanford.
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Washington State

8. Kansas State (7-0)BUZZ: K-State won at Texas Tech, which won at Oklahoma. So, with the Sooners headed to Manhattan, no problem for K-State, right? Right?
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Oklahoma

9. Arkansas (6-1)BUZZ: The Hogs didn't play all that well and still won at Ole Miss last week. Chances are, they can mess around again this week and still win in Nashville.
NEXT GAME: Saturday at Vanderbilt

10. Oklahoma (6-1)BUZZ: OU has moved from front and center in the national title picture to a spot on the periphery. To stay on the periphery, they need to hand K-State its first loss this weekend.
NEXT GAME: Saturday at Kansas State

11. Virginia Tech (7-1)BUZZ: Boston College last week and Duke this week? Man, Frank Beamer should send a few gifts to the ACC schedule-maker.
NEXT GAME: Saturday at Duke

12. Michigan State (6-1)BUZZ: Michigan State's defense didn't have a good day against Wisconsin. But a last-play Hail Mary erased that memory. Now the Spartans face a tough road test as they aim for their first Rose Bowl since the 1987 season.
NEXT GAME: Saturday at Nebraska

13. Wisconsin (6-1)BUZZ: As with Oklahoma, Wisconsin faces a must-win scenario to stay on the periphery of the national title picture. Saturday is Ohio State's homecoming.
NEXT GAME: Saturday at Ohio State

14. South Carolina (6-1)BUZZ: The Gamecocks begin life without star TB Marcus Lattimore. Good news for South Carolina is that Tennessee is starting a true freshman who hasn't thrown a college pass at quarterback.
NEXT GAME: Saturday at Tennessee

15. Nebraska (6-1)BUZZ: The Huskers already have one Big Ten loss, and if they want to stay in the Legends Division race, they have to beat division front-runner Michigan State on Saturday.
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Michigan State

16. USC (6-1)BUZZ: The Trojans ended Notre Dame's BCS hopes with a 14-point win in South Bend. This week, the Trojans will try to end Stanford's national title hopes.
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Stanford

17. Penn State (7-1)BUZZ: The Nittany Lions quietly have put together a 7-1 record, with the only loss coming to Alabama. The offense looked good last week in a win at Northwestern. Is that because Northwestern's defense is horrible or because the offense finally is clicking?
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Illinois

18. Michigan (6-1)BUZZ: It's homecoming in the Big House, but Purdue won in its most recent trip to Ann Arbor. The schedule toughens considerably for Michigan after this one.
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Purdue

19. Arizona State (5-2)BUZZ: The Sun Devils were off last week and have Colorado this week and UCLA next week. Just call this stretch an in-season extended vacation.
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Colorado

20. Texas A&M (5-2)BUZZ: This is a key Big 12 game for the Aggies. Soon, it could be a key SEC West game for both.
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Missouri

21. Texas (5-2)BUZZ: This is the last easy game for the Longhorns this season. KU hasn't beaten Texas since 1938.
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Kansas

22. Houston (7-0)BUZZ: An unbeaten season likely would garner the Cougars a BCS bid. They will be looking for revenge Thursday, as they lost to their in-town rival last season.
NEXT GAME: Thursday vs. Rice

23. Texas Tech (5-2)BUZZ: There were a few tense moments in the fourth quarter, but Tech held on for a huge upset last week at Oklahoma. This week, the Red Raiders need to avoid the hangover affect when Iowa State comes calling.
NEXT GAME: Saturday vs. Iowa State

24. Baylor (4-2)BUZZ: Baylor will have a larger-than-normal cheering section Saturday, though not all those people will be in the stands in Stillwater. You can be sure that folks in Clemson, S.C., and Palo Alto, Calif., will be especially interested in the outcome.
NEXT GAME: Saturday at Oklahoma State

25. West Virginia (5-2)BUZZ: You'd think a team that throws the ball as often as WVU wouldn't be so flustered when an opposing defense decides to come after the quarterback. But that's what happened in last week's loss at Syracuse.
NEXT GAME: Saturday at Rutgers